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Oswego, Illinois
Oswego is a village in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. The village population, according to the 2010 census, is 30,355. Its population has more than doubled since the 2000 census count of 13,326. With that growth, Oswego is the largest municipality located completely within Kendall County. Oswego is famous to many Chicago area residents for the town drag strip open from 1955 until 1979 where custom muscle cars were raced by drivers from all over the mid-west. The drag days are celebrated today even though the strip has been closed for decades. Geography Oswego is located at and straddles the Fox River. According to the 2010 census, the village has a total area of , (or 99.36%) is land and (or 0.70%) is water. History According the village of Oswego website, in 1833, William Smith Wilson, his wife Rebecca, and his brother-in-law Daniel Pearce moved to the area now known as Oswego. The land was officially owned by the local Potowatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes but the U.S. Government removed the Native Americans when they started surveying the land along the Fox River in Kendall County. The Government ended up putting the land up for sale at a price of $2.25 an acre.oswegoil.org After the sale of the land, Lewis Brinsmaid Judson and Levi F. Arnold laid out the village and named it Hudson. However, when a post office was established by the Government, confusion over the town name arose. The citizens then gathered and chose the permanent name of Oswego. The ford across the Fox River in the town allowed Oswego to grow economically and as a town. Many years later with the invention of the automobile, Oswego continued to see growth as it was a hub for three different state highways (Route 25, Ill. Route 71, and Ill. Route 31). These have allowed Oswego to grow to what it has become today.http://www.oswegoil.org/community-info/history.htm Downtown Downtown Oswego is home to historic buildings and homes, as well as shops and restaurants. The village of Oswego launched a project to enhance and restore the historic downtown district. This project included significant infrastructure and streets-cape improvements, such as the installation of brick paves, sidewalks, landscaping, and decorative streetlights and benches. Hudson Crossing Park, located along the Fox River, opened in October 2004 where many children and families enjoy the scenery. The Waubonsee Creek Promenade, which stretches from Main Street to the new park, is the final phase of the downtown enhancements. In 2008, the village celebrated its 175th anniversary. Several festivals are hosted in Oswego including the annual Drag Strip Days, Prairie Fest, Wine on the Fox, the Christmas Walk, and the Memorial Day Parade. The village also hosts the Oswego Country Market every Sunday from May through October.http://www.oswegoil.org/economic-development/index.htm Awards and recognition Oswego was ranked #58 in 2011 on CNN Money’s Top 100 Best Towns to live in. CNN Money ranks these towns based on their job opportunities, schools, safety, economic strength and more. Although Oswego was unranked in 2012, Kendall County has continuously been ranked as one of the fastest growing counties and a place of rapid job growth by CNN Money.http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2011/snapshots/PL1756887.html Education The Oswego Community Unit School District 308 serves Oswego, Boulder Hill, Montgomery, Plainfield, Aurora, Yorkville and Joliet. It operates the following schools: * Oswego High School * Oswego East High School * Traughber Junior High School * Thompson Junior High School *Bednarcik Junior High School *Plank Junior High School *Murphy Junior High School *East View Elementary School *Churchill Elementary School *Boulder Hill Elementary School *Fox Chase Elementary School *Long Beach Elementary School *Homestead Elementary School *Old Post Elementary School *Fox Chase Elementary School *The Wheatlands Elementary School *Prairie Point Elementary School *Wolf's Crossing Elementary School *Grande Park Elementary School *Southbury Elementary (Opened August 2008) *Hunt Club Elementary School (Opened August 2009) *The Brokaw Early Learning Center It also contains the area's Opportunity School. http://www.oswego308.org/about/buildings.aspx Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 13,326 people, 4,476 households, and 3,692 families residing in the village. The population density is 781.9/km² (2,024.5/mi²). There are 4,591 housing units at an average density of 269.4/km² (697.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 93.49% White, 1.79% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.79% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 4.99% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 4,476 households out of which 47.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.0% are married couples living together, 6.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 17.5% are non-families. 14.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.96 and the average family size is 3.30. In the village, the population is spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 96.5 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.6 males. The median income for a household in the village is $71,502, and the median income for a family is $75,929. Males have a median income of $55,580 versus $32,484 for females. The per capita income for the village is $27,204. 2.8% of the population and 1.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.4% of those under the age of 18 and 3.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. In the 2010 census, the village had 30,355 residents versus 13,326 residents in the 2000 census.http://www.oswegoil.org/economic-development/Community_Profile_10-17-12.pdf Notable people * J. Dennis Hastert, former Congressman and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1999–2007) * Alex Magee, defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers * Robinson B. Murphy, Civil War musician, Medal of Honor recipientMusician Robinson B. Murphy, Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient * Joey Goodspeed, running back for the Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, and San Diego Chargers * Jarrett Payton, running back for the Tennessee Titans and three other foreign and domestic league teams; son of Walter Payton * Paul Scheuring, screenwriter and director Gallery Image:Oswego Illinois - 2.jpg| Park benches at Oswego, Illinois Village Hall Image:Oswego Illinois - 3.jpg| Downtown Oswego, Illinois Image:Oswego Illinois - 4.jpg| Oswego, Illinois old fire department Image:Oswego Illinois - 5.jpg| Oswego, Illinois public library Image:Oswego Illinois - 6.jpg| Oswego Veteran's Memorial Plaza Image:Oswego Illinois - 7.jpg| Hudson Crossing Park Image:Oswego Illinois - 8.jpg| Hudson Crossing Park & Oswego Bridge Image:Oswego Illinois - 9.jpg| Downtown Oswego, Illinois during PrairieFest parade References External links * Oswego, Illinois Official Website Category:Oswego, Illinois Category:Villages in Kendall County, Illinois Category:Villages in Illinois Category:Settlements established in 1833